


To Dash Against Darkness

by paperscribe



Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-03
Updated: 2013-12-03
Packaged: 2018-01-02 13:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1057449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperscribe/pseuds/paperscribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Early in their partnership, Lewis and Hathaway get stuck in a dark basement, and Lewis learns something about Hathaway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Dash Against Darkness

Though they got on well enough, Lewis was aware that he and Hathaway were relatively new partners, and that they were still getting used to each other. He hoped Hathaway would lose the habit of standing directly behind him; so far, he made it three or four times he'd turned round and planted his face squarely in the middle of Hathaway's chest. Lewis was sure he had habits Hathaway didn't care for as well, though he hadn't worked out what they were yet. They'd get it sorted; this was just the awkward getting-to-know-you phase. 

They'd just arrived at the key suspect's house, which was very near the crime scene and thus was already full of various and sundry police. Lewis and Hathaway decided to examine the basement, which was, they discovered, old and outmoded, with a dirt floor and no windows or electricity. It was also only accessible by ladder. Lewis wondered if the suspect had kept it this way on purpose, to make it difficult for anyone to find anything.

When they'd both reached the bottom of the wet wooden ladder, Lewis flicked on the torch he'd brought with him. The basement was mostly empty, with only a few sodden white cardboard boxes in one corner.

"Not much," Hathaway offered, surveying the room.

"No," Lewis said. "And we'll never get those boxes up the ladder. I wonder if we might…" He took a step toward them, just as his torch flickered and died. Lewis let out a heavy sigh of exasperation, banging the torch with the heel of his hand, but the torch remained obstinately inoperative. He groped for the ladder and found it, but when he set his foot on the bottom rung, the rotten wood broke. 

"Sir?" Hathaway said, voice unusually quiet.

"The ladder's broken," Lewis said. "It's a wonder we made it all the way down." He raised his voice to shout to the officers above. "One of you lot get us a new ladder! This one's rotted through!"

"Yes, sir!" someone above shouted, and Lewis heard the sound of someone running.

He turned back to where he thought Hathaway was. It was hard to tell; aside from the small sliver of light from the room above, the basement was so dark that seeing properly was impossible, even once your eyes adjusted. "You all right?"

"Fine," Hathaway said, but his voice sounded oddly uneven.

Lewis frowned. "You're sure?"

"I just need to sit down." There was an unceremonious thud.

Lewis bit back an expletive and fumbled his way toward Hathaway. "Jim?"

"Fine, I'm fine," Hathaway said, a breathless sound to his voice, as though his lungs didn't quite work for him anymore.

Lewis groped along the wall in front of him until he found Hathaway. "What happened?" He crouched next to Hathaway.

"My legs…dropped me a bit more quickly than I expected."

"I'll go back and tell them you're ill."

"I'm not ill," Hathaway said, but he sounded as though he were gasping for air every minute.

Lewis reached for Hathaway's hand, intending to take his pulse, but Hathaway clutched Lewis's hand tightly and didn't let go. Lewis put it together then--the breathlessness, the collapse, the death grip. Hathaway was terrified.

"You should've told me," Lewis said gently.

"I'm fine," Hathaway said, and it would've come out snappish if he'd been getting enough oxygen.

No sense arguing. Lewis tapped Hathaway on the shoulder with his available hand. "Bend forward. Knees up, and head between your knees. Now take slow, deep breaths."

Hathaway's voice was muffled as he complied. "Sir, if I die of a lung infection from breathing deeply in this basement…"

Lewis chuckled. "You've been watching too much _House_. Deep breaths, now."

Hathaway complied silently for a few minutes.

"Any better?" Lewis asked gently.

"Yes." His voice was still quiet, but sounded a bit less thready. That was a good sign. Hathaway took one more deep breath, and then Lewis heard him sit up. "Sorry."

"None of that," Lewis said firmly.

Somewhere in the house, a door slammed shut, and Lewis could feel Hathaway jump next to him. Lewis rested a tentative hand on Hathaway's back; Hathaway seemed comfortable with touch, generally speaking, so Lewis thought this might help.

"It's just someone searching the house," Lewis said.

"Are you sure they're getting a ladder?" Hathaway asked.

Lewis glanced in the direction he thought the rotten ladder was. "Well, I could ask them to hurry if you like." He started to get up.

"Don't." Hathaway's voice was quiet, but there was blind panic and urgency in it. Whatever he was frightened of, Lewis could tell it would be worse for him to face alone.

"All right," Lewis said, settling back down.

Hathaway let out a shuddery breath. "I don't like this."

"No, I know," Lewis said softly. "What can I do?"

Hathaway sighed. Maybe he was too embarrassed to ask for anything. Maybe he didn't know what to ask for.

"Right," Lewis said, adopting a no-nonsense tone. "Thing is, you're not by yourself. There's loads of people upstairs, but even if there weren't, I'm right here. And if I have to make shovels out of what's left of that ladder so we can dig our way out of here, I will."

He heard something that sounded very much like a laugh, and found that encouraging.

"You're not on your own," Lewis said, thinking that point would probably need some emphasis. "The worst thing down here is me, and I've been told even I'm not so bad."

Another laugh. Good.

"We don't have to talk if you don't want," Lewis told him. "We can just sit quietly."

"Under the cork tree?" Hathaway's voice sounded more in control now, and he was breathing more easily.

Lewis smiled. He'd read _The Story of Ferdinand_ to his kids too. "Mind you don't get stung by a bee or they'll put you in a bullfight."

"I think I'd have better luck against a matador than I would against a bull," Hathaway murmured.

It clearly took some effort for Hathaway to chat to Lewis, but he was making the effort, and as long as he did that, Lewis could try to distract Hathaway. "Have you ever been to Spain?"

"No."

"Really?" Lewis smiled to himself. "Dunno why, but I thought of you as the sort of bloke who travels."

"I travel through books, mostly."

"Is that like the drawings in _Mary Poppins_? Open the books and jump in?"

"Yes, it's exactly like that," Hathaway deadpanned.

Lewis chuckled. "Someday you'll have to show me."

"Wish I could." Hathaway sounded oddly wistful.

"Got the ladder, sir!" someone bellowed from upstairs, making Hathaway jump again, though he tried to hide it. "Stand well clear!"

Lewis could see the glinting of the aluminium ladder as it lowered into the basement, knocking the wooden ladder to one side. He patted Hathaway's shoulder once. "You all right to go up?"

"Give me a moment," Hathaway said. He stood slowly, leaning against the wall and Lewis for support. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to anyone."

Hathaway didn't know him very well if he thought Lewis was a gossip. "Of course not."

"Thank you." Hathaway took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and crossed to the ladder. Lewis tactfully let him go first, following a safe distance behind.

The light was half-blinding after being in near-total blackness so long, and Lewis had to squint for a few minutes before it was comfortable to open his eyes. He glanced at Hathaway, but Hathaway showed no signs of anything ever having been wrong, demeanour casually dispassionate. That he could hide what a few minutes ago had been unchecked panic told Lewis he was going to have to keep an eye on this one. Anything Hathaway felt could be hidden, could go unnoticed when it shouldn't.

Hathaway looked at Lewis. "You left your torch."

"Too bad," Lewis said. "I'm not going back to get it."

A small smile twitched at the corners of Hathaway's mouth, and he nodded. "I'm sure it'll be fine where it is."

"Come on," Lewis said, directing Hathaway to the front door. "I fancy checking outside for a bit."

He thought he saw a flicker of relief cross Hathaway's face, but it was only momentary, and then it was gone. Yes…he'd definitely have to keep an eye on Hathaway.

Maybe someday they'd even be friends. Stranger things had happened.


End file.
